


it's a long night, and we cannot see the answers

by sapphireswimming



Series: Aces [3]
Category: Gundam 00
Genre: Gen, Gen Work, Gundam 00 Week 2018, Interviews, One Shot, Soma Peries is Soma Peries, slight AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-15
Updated: 2018-07-15
Packaged: 2021-03-08 23:09:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,016
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27314578
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sapphireswimming/pseuds/sapphireswimming
Summary: Following the AEU's lead, the HRL has decided to garner support in their efforts against Celestial Being by interviewing their Ace Pilot. If only their Ace Pilot was a little more... interview-able
Series: Aces [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1957048
Kudos: 2





	it's a long night, and we cannot see the answers

**Author's Note:**

> Also posted here: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13734292/1/
> 
> Written for Gundam 00 Week 2018 Day 4: Trust You
> 
> Title from the Gundam 00 ending credit song _Trust You_ by Yuna Ito
> 
> No warnings, no spoilers
> 
> Based on the WGN Television Studio in Chicago

A young, dark haired woman with a clipboard knocked on the doorframe and stuck her head into the dressing room.

Soma's eyes snapped to her and away from the sports memorabilia hung across each wall and over the line of bright lights above the mirror – photographs and newspaper clippings, a few of the earliest ones in black and white, surrounding a faded Russian jersey for a sports team that must have been important at one point in time but that she could not identify.

"Are you both ready?" she asked, glancing between them.

"Yes," Soma replied for both of them, standing up and stepping to Sergei's side.

"If you'll come with me, then?" she said, starting to lead them down the hallway. They passed oversized posters advertising the station's most popular shows. "If you need anything, my name is Hui. As you saw before, you'll be in Studio Three, which is one of our black box studios. I'll introduce you to your host and then you'll walk on with him," she said.

"Where would you like me?" Sergei asked.

She turned to look up at him. "If you want to watch it on the screen, you could go back to the lounge from where you first came in. There are couches and vending machines in there. Or if you wanted to stay…?"

"If that's alright," he said, inclining his head toward her.

She nodded. "You can stand behind the cameramen so long as you don't get in their way." She turned back to Soma. "That means he'll be right there, although you won't be able to see him because of the lights."

Hui led them around a corner. "I'll be moving around during the shoot, but once it's over, I'll meet back up with both of you and take you back to the dressing room for your things."

"I did not bring any things."

Hui stopped and turned in surprise. "Oh," she said, making a note on her clipboard. "In that case, you'll be free to leave once you're done. You know the way out?"

"Yes, we do, thanks," Sergei said.

"Then just make sure you stop by the check-in desk again and you'll be all set." She led them to a huge set of plain double doors with a large airbrushed number three. "Here we are," she said, before tilting her head down and whispering something into her headset.

A moment later, she nodded. "Okay, here we go," she said, pulling open the door and ushering them inside.

It was a large black room with bare black walls, a glossy black wooden floor, and rows upon rows of black bucket lights hanging from black pipes running across the ceiling. In keeping with the theme of the black box, there was a black curtain drawn around one of the short ends of the room, behind two stuffed burgundy armchairs that had a large green-leafed plant on the rug between them.

Hui silently led them past other crew members with clipboards and headsets, over wires running between cameras and monitors, and to the far chair, where Junho Jeong was taking a long drink from a water bottle.

He put it down as soon as he caught sight of them crossing the floor. "Ahh," he said as they came up, "Are you the Lieutenant, then?" he asked, eyes flickering back and forth between them.

"I am Lieutenant Soma Pieres," she said, snapping to attention.

"Ah. Umm, yes," he said, looking down and eventually touching a hand to his own forehead in return. "And you are?" he asked, turning to Sergei with a smile.

"Colonel Sergei Smirnov," he said, extending a hand. Junho took it gratefully, then raised his eyebrows.

"Smirnov," he repeated, the gears turning in his head as he continued to shake his hand. "The Wild Bear of Russia? It's an honor to meet you," he said, adding another hand on top of the one he was shaking. He finally stopped and Sergei was able to retrieve his hand.

He looked a little apologetic. "Perhaps we'll be fortunate enough to have you on one of these days?" he asked with a tilt of his head.

"… We'll see," Sergei finally replied.

Junho looked between them. "Right, well, it's almost time, so," he clapped his hands in front of him. Neither of them moved. He cleared his throat. "So if you'll come with me, dear?" he motioned off toward the left for Soma to follow him.

She looked back over her shoulder to see where Hui led Sergei, in a temporary nook created by the curtain and the cameramen a few meters offset from the doors where they came in, which were closed again now. She felt a tentative hand on her shoulder and turned back to see Junho looking down at her in concern. "Are you alright?" he asked, looking back out at where Sergei was now standing.

"I am fine," she replied.

"Would you like some water or anything before we begin?" he asked, already half waving one of the black-clad crew members over.

"No, I do not require anything at this time," she assured him.

He blinked and coughed into the sleeve of his silver-grey blazer. "Then, we're ready to begin as soon as we get the green light from the cameramen," he said, and they both looked over toward Sergei, who stepped back to let a man with a shoulder rig cross to the other side of the stationary camera.

"Once they start rolling, we'll walk on from behind this curtain and take our seats. You'll be sitting in the farther chair," he told her.

"Affirmative."

He put a hand to his mouth. "Is there… any way that you could—"

She looked up at him with piercing golden eyes.

"You know what?" he said with a tight smile. "Never mind. You'll do just fine."

Hui caught their eye from across the room and made a large looping sign with her hand, then held up five fingers and started counting down.

"Alright," Junho leaned forward to whisper to her. "We'll go on in three, two, one…"


End file.
